Diaceutics and London Genetics Partner to Accelerate Biomarker Development in the Global Biopharmaceutical Industry

WASHINGTON and LONDON, September 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Diaceutics Limited (http://www.diaceutics.com) and London Genetics Limited, an expert in the use of pharmacogenetics in clinical drug discovery and development, today announce a strategic partnership to develop software decision tools that will provide biopharmaceutical companies with rapid and extensive access to the world's leading academic biomarker research groups. The new tools will enable commercial biomarker research teams to comprehensively explore global biomarker resources to identify genes and gene sequences, as well as the researchers and clinicians relevant to their targeted therapy research.

The new software, which is expected to be launched in 2011, is based on the Diaceutics Fusion platform, the leading personalised medicine planning software application for targeted therapy development teams, and the London Genetics Biomarker Pathway platform. The tools to be developed under the strategic partnership will allow research teams to build biomarker hypotheses, request expressions of interest and prepare proposals for clinical development. The expressions of interest, requesting access to patient samples and investigator networks, will be sent to academic biomarker research teams globally, including London Genetics' own network of over 3,000 investigators in a broad range of therapeutic areas and technology disciplines. In this way, partners can be rapidly identified and collaborative projects instigated.

"We are delighted to partner with London Genetics, leverage their biomarker expertise, and together build tools that will address a key problem for therapy development teams," said Peter Keeling, CEO of Diaceutics. "Biomarker research is often limited because teams don't know the capabilities of external research centers and miss potential collaborations which could accelerate their targeted therapy development."

"This strategic alliance with Diaceutics fits closely with our overall goal to expedite pharmacogenetic and biomarker partnerships between industry and academia for more effective targeted drug development," said Dominique Kleyn, CEO of London Genetics. "We look forward to working with new industry partners identified via the tools we are developing with Diaceutics."

Notes to Editors:

About London Genetics

London Genetics Limited, a not-for-profit company, is an expert in the use of pharmacogenetics in clinical drug discovery and development. Established in 2007 with funding from the London Development Agency, its seven founding partners are leading London academic and medical institutions with clinical and genetic expertise and significant patient resources. The company provides pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with access to this expertise and resource, as well as providing strategic advice on the application of pharmacogenetics for successful drug development. LGL has broad therapeutic expertise, based on its access to 3,000 academic groups with a GBP650m annual research spend. Recent agreements developed by London Genetics include a collaboration between the International Serious Adverse Events Consortium, St George's University of London and the Drug Safety Research Unit at Southampton, UK. LGL is based in central London and has ISO 9001 accreditation. For further information, please go to http://www.londongenetics.com

About Diaceutics:

About Diaceutics: Diaceutics is an international change management and consulting firm specializing in personalized medicine. Diaceutics mission is to build bridges between pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies and to provide pharmaceutical industry leaders with the foundation and operational structure necessary to effectively develop and commercialize targeted therapies that better meet patients' needs and improve return on investment. For more information, visit http://www.diaceutics.com.Diaceutics is an international change management and consulting firm specializing in personalized medicine. Diaceutics mission is to build bridges between pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies and to provide pharmaceutical industry leaders with the foundation and operational structure necessary to effectively develop and commercialize targeted therapies that better meet patients' needs and improve return on investment. For more information, visit http://www.diaceutics.com.

About Pharmacogenetics:

Genetic differences between individuals mean that drug response rates are often variable across a population, and this has significant implications for healthcare cost effectiveness. Pharmocogenetics, the study of the clinical consequences of genetic differences in the way people metabolise and respond to drugs, is expected to generate better understanding of how drugs work in the body, and therefore give insight into how to develop more efficacious and safer drugs. It also has implications for product life cycle management and the revitalisation of drugs which previously failed in clinical trials. With drug development costs rising and R&D productivity falling, plus increased regulator focus on safety and cost-effectiveness, pharmacogenetics is expected to become increasingly important in drug development. The FDA and the EMA have recognised this in their Critical Path Initiative and Road Map respectively.

    Contact for London Genetics Ltd:
    Dominique Kleyn, CEO,
    +44-(0)207-594-1838

    Emma Palmer Foster, Strategic Communications Consultant,
    +44-(0)7880-787-185
    [email protected]

    Contact for Diaceutics:
    Mollie Roth, Esq.,
    Chief Operating Officer
    +1-202-280-5887
    [email protected]

SOURCE London Genetics Ltd